Mississippi Casino Gaming Floor Reopens After Multihour Tech Failure

Posted on: November 1, 2023, 03:57h. 

Last updated on: November 2, 2023, 11:27h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Mississippi’s Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort shuttered its gaming floor operations Monday afternoon after surveillance cameras malfunctioned. Play was able to resume early Tuesday after the system was repaired.

Mississippi’s Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort
Mississippi’s Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, pictured above. The casino’s gaming floor was closed for many hours this week after a technology glitch. (Image: Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort)

Casino employees immediately ordered visitors and players to leave the gaming floor after the cameras failed. Under state regulations, a casino can’t provide gaming in Mississippi unless surveillance cameras are working, Mississippi TV station WLOX reported.

Crews began to repair the surveillance system around lunchtime on Monday. Players weren’t allowed back onto the floor until about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. The breakdown impacted about 75% of the property’s gaming floor, according to Mississippi’s Sun Herald news outlet.

Casino employees alerted the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) when the issue occurred.

Surveillance cameras allow casino security to monitor gambling and overall safety. Both players and employees are typically watched to ensure no rules are broken.

The glitch wasn’t related to a power outage, and thus, the gaming machines did not need to be tested when customers returned, according to the MGC.

Casino Responds

Scarlet Pearl Casino CEO LuAnn Pappas revealed in a Tuesday morning Facebook post, “Despite all the rumors (and there were many), we experienced technical difficulties with our casino surveillance coverage. As such, we were required to shut down the casino until coverage could be fully restored.”

She thanked players and employees for their actions during the shutdown.

Edward Wong, deputy director of the MGC, told WLOX that such breakdowns sometimes occur in the state’s casinos.

“Most of our casinos have experienced similar events,” Wong said. “It does happen from time to time.”

Hotel, Eateries Remained Open

The casino’s restaurants and 300-room hotel remained open while the gaming floor was shuttered.

There’s been no word on what caused the failure in the surveillance camera system, and there was no indication of foul play in connection with the incident. The casino didn’t reveal how much revenue it lost while the gaming floor was shuttered.

The Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort is located in D’Iberville, Miss, near Biloxi. The property was opened in 2015.